It’s hard to find a lot of positives with the Nashville Predators after their first twenty-five games. A team that entered the 2024-25 season with high expectations currently sits second to last in the league with a 7-12-6 record while players up and down the lineup struggle to find their game.

Rookie Zachary L’Heureux may be one bright spot in the early season turmoil.

The 21-year old Montreal native made his NHL debut for the Predators on October 22, and in his twenty games he’s recorded two goals and five points. It’s a solid start for a young player Nashville liked enough in 2021 to trade up for in the first round of the draft.

In 2023-2024 the forward played his first season in the AHL with the Milwaukee Admirals, scoring 19 goals and 48 points in 66 games. He hit his stride in the Admirals postseason run to the Western Conference Finals. L’Heureux finished tied for first in postseason goals in the entire AHL (10 goals, 15 points in 15 postseason games) despite playing three less games than Ethan Frank of the Hershey Bears, the eventual Calder Cup winners.

L’Heureux was hoping to carry that postseason momentum into training camp and make the Predators roster to begin the season. Despite a solid performance in the preseason, L’Heureux found himself back in Milwaukee.

“They had decisions to make and they went in a different direction,” L’Heureux said.

“Was I frustrated, disappointed? Yeah. One hundred percent. But I feel like I used that to feed my hunger, to want to get there even more.”

L’Heureux didn’t have to wait long. The call up came right after Milwaukee’s home opener. L’Heureux was pulling out of the parking lot of UWM Panther Arena with his parents who were in town for the game when he got the call.

“I’m halfway out the parking lot when my phone starts ringing,” L’Heureux recounted. “I stop right in the middle of the parking lot and check my phone and it’s Ryan Costello, the Assistant General Manager.”

“At the same time I see him run out. I don’t even park my car, I just throw it in park, throw my keys to my dad in the back seat and get out, run in.”

L’Heureux got the news of his upcoming NHL debut from Costello, Scott Nichol, and the coaching staff.

L’Heureux has been doing his part in Nashville. The stats don’t accurately reflect his impact in his first twenty games. His role on the fourth line highlights his physicality and grit, but he also has a high hockey IQ and offensive skill set. His first NHL goal got the Predators on the board against the Vancouver Canucks in a 5-3 win. His third period goal against the New Jersey Devils briefly threatened a Nashville comeback that never materialized. L’Heureux left that game with an injury, and the Predators lost 5-2.

His play has been noteworthy, but the crosscheck to the face that L’Heureux took from Devils’ forward Timo Meier was a topic of conversation across the league. Meier received a one game suspension and L’Heureux received seven stitches. Neither an illegal crosscheck from an NHL veteran nor the stitches in his mouth are likely to deter L’Heureux from being what Barry Trotz described as a “shift disturber”.

“I think I’ve done a good job of trying to get under other guys’ skin,” L’Heureux said. “I want to be a positive impact for the team, so I’m trying to pick and choose my moments more than anything.”

There have, of course, been adjustments to the NHL. L’Heureux acknowledges that the speed and physicality is on another level.

“When you’re watching on TV or in person, you don’t really understand it or have a feel for it until you really get into a game,” L’Heureux said.

“As much video as you want to watch, it’s nothing compared to getting into a game. In practice you’re going against your teammates. It’s not the same feeling as going against somebody else that’s fighting for their lives and their family. Getting used to that was definitely the biggest adjustment.”

Balancing the personal excitement of making the NHL roster on a team struggling to win has been another growing experience for L’Heureux.

“It’s tough because you always want to be positive,” L’Heureux said. “When things are hard, you’re not winning, it’s hard to always have that positive mindset.”

“I’m not necessarily the guy that has the biggest presence in the room. So whatever I can do, I just want to have a positive impact, a smile on my face, and help the team win.”

L’Heureux plans to help his team any way he can and earn a name for himself in the league.

“I’ve gotten a few ‘Who the eff are you?’s out there,” L’Heureux said with a smile.

“You’ll know who I am sooner or later.”